Former Rangers, Feyenoord, Arsenal and Barcelona man reveals ‘most intense’ rivalry in football

Former Barcelona, Rangers and Arsenal player Giovani van Bronckhorst has revealed that the Old Firm derby outranks El Classico in intensity.

The Dutchman, who spent a combined seven years at Rangers and Barcelona, claimed that the Old Firm was the most intense fixture he’s ever played in, although El Classicos were the biggest games of his career.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, van Bronckhorst explained the difference between the two rivalries.

El Classico has seen football’s greatest players face off countless times in the fixture’s history. (Image credit: Getty)

“The Old Firm was the most intense, on and off the pitch, but the Clasico was the biggest derby I ever played in.

“The whole world was watching. In my time at Barcelona, Real Madrid had all of the Galacticos, but we usually won those games.”

Van Bronckhurst was on the winning side of the fixture three times during his spell with the Catalan giants, even grabbing a goal against Madrid in a 3-0 win at the Nou Camp in 2004.

“Real Madrid weren’t dominant in Spain, despite their stars,” he added. 

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“One of my most beautiful Clasicos was the away match we won 3-0, when Ronaldinho received a standing ovation. I scored against Real at the Camp Nou as well.

Ronaldinho received a standing ovation from the Bernabeu crowd for his performance in a 0-3 win in 2005. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The former Rangers and Feyenood manager’s derby day experience stretches beyond Scotland and Spain, having featured in De Klassieker for Feyenoord against Ajax, as well as the North London derby for Arsenal against Tottenham.

“I think my best Klassieker between Feyenoord and Ajax was a game when I was a manager, in the cup,” van Bronckhorst said.

“We won in injury time through an own goal by Joel Veltman, went into the next round and eventually won the cup. That was my first trophy as coach of Feyenoord.”

He added: “I’ve always enjoyed derbies, including the build-up to them. 

“Sadly, I never scored in a North London Derby against Tottenham, although I scored against Chelsea and that counts as a London derby, right?”

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